The artist is born on 19 June in Leval-Trahégnies, near Binche.
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House in which Berthe Dubail was born in Leval-Trahégnies |
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Berthe Dubail at five |
Berthe Dubail at 10, 1921 |
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Takes lessons in decorative art at the Lycée Warocqué in Morlanwelz, then at the Ecole Provinciale des Arts et Métiers in Saint-Ghislain.
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Berthe Dubail at 20, 1931, Leval-Trahégnies |
Berthe Dubail, 1934 |
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Meets the Dutch painter Théo Idserda; gains qualification for teaching art to pupils in the first years of secondary school. |
Enrols in the drawing class at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Mons; starts painting in an "animist" style similar to the Nervia group. |
Obtains drawing teacher diploma granted by the State Examinations Board; starts teaching at Virton and Tamines. |
Moves temporarily to France with her family; then teaches at Binche and Dour; becomes friends with the painter Arsène Detry. |
Teaches at the Lycée de Mons until 1954; continues to learn painting at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Mons under Louis Buisseret. |
Adopts an Expressionist and Materialist style; starts participating in group exhibitions. |
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Berthe Dubail in Ostend, 1946 |
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First solo exhibition in Mons. |
First of her works acquired by the State of Belgium. |
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Berthe Dubail photographed by Marcel Lefranc, 1949 |
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Solo exhibitions in Mons and La Louvière. |
First exhibition in Brussels. Critics place her sober, serious figuration within the realms of post-Expressionism. |
Scholarship awarded by the Belgian and French governments, goes to study twice in Paris; frequents the open studio of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière; sculpts her Homme à Bicyclette (Man on Bicycle) there under the guidance of Zadkine. |
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Berthe Dubail while sculpting her "the man with a bicycle" in the Zadkine studio, Grande-Chaumière, Paris
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Comes to live in Brussels, setting up her studio on the rue des Champs-Elysées in Ixelles, and teaches at the Lycée d’Ixelles; improves her monumental painting technique through lessons at the Ecole Supérieure de la Cambre. |
Second solo exhibition in Brussels; paints some tall monumental nudes, heralding her imminent evolution towards abstract art. |
Decorated with the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold II; exhibits in Ghent and Mons; her Hommage à Rembrandt (Homage to Rembrandt) demonstrates that her abstract art is primarily of a geometric nature.
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Berthe Dubail while painting her "Tribute to Rembrandt", 1956 |
Stained Glass created in 1956 (70 x55 cm) |
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An abstract stained-glass window of 1956 is awarded a prize by the Province of Brabant at the Universal Exhibition in Brussels. |
Moves towards a more lyrical, gestural abstraction. |
Meets the poet Pierre Bourgeois, former leader of the Plastique Pure Belge (Belgian Pure Plastic Arts) group in the 1920s, with whom she forms a close friendship; is selected for the Prix Talens. |
Seven-month visit to Paris as official representative of the Belgian government. |
Solo exhibition in Paris, where she meets Tristan Tzara and Jean Cassou. |
Solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, devoted to her gestural period; participation in group exhibitions in South Africa, Grenoble and Nantes.
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Berthe Dubail in her personal exhibition in Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, November |
Berthe Dubail and her niece Ginette Blondiaux in front of the painting "Between the Worlds" during her exhibition in Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels |
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Guest of honour at the Tendances Contemporaines show in La Louvière; begins to work in her new Materialist, grainy abstract style. |
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Pierre Bourgeois and Berthe Dubail during her exhibition in Drieghe Gallery in Wetteren, November 1964
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Exhibits her new style in Ostend, Aalst, Asse, Brussels, Luxembourg and Malines. |
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Berthe Dubail in her studio in front of her painting "Meditative Form", 1972 |
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Stops teaching. |
Exhibits in Namur, Antwerp, Bruges and Hasselt.
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Berthe Dubail with Philippe Roberts-Jones during her exhibition at the Spectrum Gallery in Antwerp, 1973-©Picture: Jacques J. Halber |
Berthe Dubail, 1974 |
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Berthe Dubail and Serge Goyens de Heusch (in front: the painter Paul Schrobiltgen) during the Roger Greisch exhibition at the Armorial Gallery in Brussels, 1973 |
Berthe Dubail photographed by F. Fas, around 1975 |
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Retrospective at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Mons (with catalogue preface written by Philippe Roberts-Jones, and text by André Doms). |
Is awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne; first of her works acquired by the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels. |
Last solo exhibition in her lifetime at the Galerie Armorial in Brussels. |
 First symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, from which she died on 22 November 1984.
Berthe Dubail and her niece Ginette Blondiaux
in her Ixelles studio, 1st January 1984
(last picture of the artist) |
 A street and the community centre in Leval-Trahégnies are named after the artist.
Ginette Blondiaux and M. Alexiou's speech during the tribute payed to the artist in Leval-Trahégiers, 19th June 1986. At this opportunity a Leval street was named "Berthe Dubail Street" |
 Posthumous retrospective at the Fondation pour l’Art Belge Contemporain in Brussels and publication of a monograph by Serge Goyens de Heusch.
Cover of the monograph dedicated to Berthe Dubail (written) by Serge Goyens |
Several solo exhibitions: at the Fondation John Cluysenaar in Noville-sur-Mehaigne; at the Galerie Bastien; at the Chapelle de Boendael and the Hôtel de Ville in Schaerbeek, Brussels; and in Avignon, Knokke and Brussels. |
 Retrospective of Berthe Dubail's oeuvre at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi and exhibition at the Group 2 Gallery in Brussels.
Cover of the catalogue for Berthe Dubail retrospective,
Charleroi Fine Arts' Museum, 2011-2012 |
Publication of the catalogue raisonné of Berthe Dubail's oeuvre and creation of a website devoted to the artist. |
